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The waters of the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River, visible from residential roof decks and downtown office buildings around the Inner Harbor, connect Baltimore with Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic and ultimately the Caribbean. Convenient to the millions of residents of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and greater Washington, D.C., the Cruise Maryland Terminal in South Locust Point provides cruises to the Caribbean and New England as well. More than 200,000 travelers a year take advantage of a cruise out of Baltimore.

Royal Caribbean

This Caribbean-specialty cruise line offers nine- and 12-night cruises to the Eastern Caribbean. The nine-day itinerary begins with a 4 p.m. departure out of Baltimore followed by two days of blue-water cruising. Day four brings you to San Juan, Puerto Rico, followed the next day by Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Day six offers a chance to explore Samana in the Dominican Republic, followed on day seven by snorkeling in Labadee, Haiti, with two days cruising to get home. A 12-night Southern Caribbean cruise adds stops in Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John's, Antigua; and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

Enchantment of the Seas

This 2,252-capacity vessel makes the run to the Caribbean for Royal Caribbean. The ship features a pool area, a splash deck, a solarium with an indoor-outdoor pool and a rock-climbing wall for active passengers, as well as Adventure Ocean youth facilities. The party crowd can visit a Latin-theme lounge, and dining options include the main dining room, a chophouse with steaks, Ben & Jerry's for ice cream and the Latte-tudes coffee bar, as well as the Windjammer Café for burgers and salads.

Carnival

On its seven-day Eastern Caribbean swing, Carnival takes you on different stops from those on Royal Caribbean's itinerary. You visit Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos, nestled north of the island of Hispaniola, with a protected coral reef near enough to shore for beach snorkeling and dives. The sublimely beautiful Half Moon Cay provides a glimpse of little-developed Little Salvador Island in the Bahamas and includes a bird sanctuary. Last stop before returning home is Freeport in the Bahamas, which offers shopping, golf courses and beaches.

Carnival Pride

A bit smaller than Enchantment of the Seas with a passenger capacity of 2,124, the Carnival Pride features a club casino, a piano bar, a sports bar and the Mermaid's Grille Lido restaurant. The Normandie Restaurant offers flexible reservations for fine dining. Butterflies Lounge entertains with professional comedians and amateur karaoke, and bigger acts appear at the Taj Mahal show lounge. Children ages 2 to 11 can enjoy finger painting and cartoons at Camp Carnival, while teens 15 to 17 have their own Club 02 for movies, parties and excursions on shore, Carnival's website notes.

About the Author

An award-winning writer and editor, Rogue Parrish has worked at the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun and at newspapers from England to Alaska. This world adventurer and travel book author, who graduates summa cum laude in journalism from the University of Maryland, specializes in travel and food -- as well as sports and fitness. She's also a property manager and writes on DIY projects.

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